Bands Seera and Garwasha flourish in Saudi Arabia’s community-driven music scene

Bands Seera and Garwasha flourish in Saudi Arabia’s community-driven music scene
Seera, an all-women band, formed in 2022 in Riyadh. (Supplied)
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Updated 14 February 2025
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Bands Seera and Garwasha flourish in Saudi Arabia’s community-driven music scene

Seera, an all-women band, formed in 2022 in Riyadh. (Supplied)

DHAHRAN: Two Saudi bands, Seera and Garwasha, are taking advantage of the flourishing underground music scene in the country by performing at local cultural hubs. 

While the big hitters such as the MDLBEAST-organized SOUNSTORM in Riyadh and Balad Beast in Jeddah draw the crowds — and international superstars — year on year, it is the beloved meeting spots in the country’s urban hubs that have become stages for rising Saudi talents. 




Seera performing at Bohemia Café & Records. (Supplied)

One of those spots is Khobar’s Bohemia Café & Records, where Seera and Garwasha played a packed out gig this past weekend. 

Long known as a cultural hub for music lovers, the meeting place played host to Seera, an all-women band formed in 2022 in Riyadh, who entertained the crowd with their unique sound. 

“A lot of people are intrigued; they want to know what we sound like. They’ve been so supportive, honestly, especially people in the music scene. We’ve had a lot of help from people around. And there’s the people who criticize, but that’s just noise we block out,” Seera’s Meesha told Arab News. Members of the band prefer to go by their first name. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by (@seera_music)

 

Merging Arabic melodies and rock, the band navigated complex musical landscapes, evoking a gothic energy that resonated with their listeners. 

Seera’s set featured standout tracks “Share3 Al Buhturi” and “Al Fanaa.” 

Bassist Meesha shared the beginning of Seera’s journey as a band, stating, "The singer is my sister, and we’ve always wanted to start a band together. I would post covers of myself on Instagram, and Haya, the guitarist, found me and said, ‘You! I want to start a band with you.’ We were all really excited; we wrote ten songs in one night." 

“And then our missing link was the drummer, whom we met at a French music night she organized. The rest is history,” she later told Arab News. 




Following Seera’s stirring performance, Garwasha took to the stage to showcase their new album, released in November 2024. (Supplied)

Following Seera’s stirring performance, Garwasha took to the stage to showcase their new album, released in November 2024. 

This instrumental Alternative Fusion band, also hailing from Riyadh, is known for blending smooth, synthesizer-laden jazz with a robust Arabic flavor. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by GARWASHA (@_garwasha_)

 

Guitarist Mazen Lawand, who studied at Berklee College of Music, sub-keyboard player Fawaz Waleed, sub-bass player Saud Alsheikh, and drummer Hassan Alkhedher delivered a thrilling performance with tracks like “Consolacao” and “Batt Habibi.”

 “I describe our music as a characterization of our experiences and influences,” Lawand explained.  

This sentiment was evident throughout their performance as they weaved together a tapestry of sounds that reflected their backgrounds and the rich culture of Saudi Arabia.

As the night continued, one thing became clear; support for local musicians is ever-growing.


Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’

Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’
Updated 18 February 2025
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Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’

Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’

DUBAI: French Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri took to social media to share the teaser clip and poster for upcoming film “13 Days, 13 Nights” by director Martin Bourboulon this week.

The Afghanistan evacuation drama, the full title of which is “In The Hell Of Kabul: 13 Days, 13 Nights,” stars Khoudri alongside Danish BAFTA-winning “Borgen” star Sidse Babett Knudsen, Roschdy Zem (“Chocolat,” “Oh Mercy!”), and theater actor Christophe Montenez.

Set against US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, as the Taliban marches on Kabul, the film recounts the true story of French Commander Mohamed Bida who oversaw security at the French embassy, which was the last Western mission to remain open.

Commander Bida negotiated with the Taliban to organize an evacuation convoy with the help of Eva, a young French Afghan translator played by Khoudri.

The teaser trailer features aerial shots of hundreds of people attempting to leave Afghanistan, as well as close up shots of Zem who plays Commander Bida.

“This movie happens to be one of the most exciting challenges that has been offered to me. Firstly, there is this character based on a real-life person, whose fate intersects with history itself. Secondly, the context of fleeing your own country has left no one indifferent thus bringing us to a story within history, the one that we are interested in,” Zem said, according to a previous article by Deadline.

“It tells us how, in the heart of a recent drama, a few individuals only listened to their courage to save what many would consider dear, with the feeling that they were only doing what seemed right to them. Heroes, as many would call them, because they retain the most essential quality: humanity,” he added.

The film marks a change for Bourboulon after period dramas “The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady,” “The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan” and “Eiffel.”

Khoudri, 32, first rose to prominence in her role as Nedjma in Mounia Meddour’s critically acclaimed drama “Papicha.” For her work in the film, she won the Orizzonti Award for best actress at the 74th Venice Film Festival, and she was nominated in the Cesar Awards’ most promising actress category.

Khoudri also starred in the 2019 mini-series “Les Sauvages” and in 2016’s “Blood on the Docks.”

Notably, she was cast in Wes Anderson’s 2021 comedy “The French Dispatch” alongside Timothee Chalamet, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Owen Wilson.


Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates
Updated 17 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the dates for its fifth edition, with international celebrities set to touch down in Jeddah for the festival that will run from Dec. 4-13.

The event will take place at the film festival’s headquarters in Al-Balad, Jeddah.

Last year’s theme, “The New Home of Film,” celebrated the festival’s new headquarters Al-Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 2024 festival played host to more than 40,000 attendees and nearly 7,000 accredited guests, showcasing 122 films from 85 countries, including 61 premieres. A total of 302 screenings took place, with half of the films being world or international premieres, including 46 world premieres, 15 international premieres, and 53 MENA premieres.

The Al-Balad headquarters features five purpose-built cinemas and a large auditorium that hosted back-to-back screenings as well as In Conversation panels with celebrities.

Presided over by Spike Lee, the 2024 edition's two juries deliberated across 14 competition categories, with 16 feature films vying for top honors, alongside short films from the Arab world, Asia, and Africa featured in the New Saudi, New Cinema, and Arab Shorts programs.

Last year’s red carpet featured the likes of Emily Blunt, Aamir Khan, Mona Zaki, Viola Davis, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Other notable attendees included Michelle Yeoh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Johnny Depp, Yousra, Vin Diesel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cynthia Erivo, Brendan Fraser, Mohamed Sami, and more.


‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive

‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive
Updated 18 February 2025
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‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive

‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive
  • “Conclave”, which stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a new pope, was also named outstanding British film and took trophies for editing and adapted screenplay
  • US filmmaker Brady Corbet took the BAFTA for best director for “The Brutalist,” while leading man Adrien Brody scooped up the best actor gong

DUBAI/LONDON: Hollywood actress Anna Kendrick hit the red carpet at the 78th British Academy Film Awards in an archival look by Lebanese designer Georges Chakra on Sunday night in London.

Kendrick showed off a silk chiffon pleated gown adorned with bands of cascading black crystal fringe and a sweeping train from the designer’s Fall/Winter 2005-2006 couture collection at the BAFTAs.

Anna Kendrick showed off a look from Georges Chakra's Fall/Winter 2005-2006 couture collection. (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Papal thriller “Conclave” and immigrant epic “The Brutalist” tied for top honors at the ceremony, with each film picking up four coveted gongs.
“Conclave,” directed by German-born Edward Berger, won the BAFTA for the best film with its tale of the intrigue and horse-trading behind the scenes during the election of a new pope.

Accepting the award, Berger recalled the journey to make the film took seven years, paying tribute to British screenplay writer Peter Straughan's “wonderful script” and lead actor Ralph Fiennes.

US filmmaker Brady Corbet took the BAFTA for best director for “The Brutalist”, while leading man Adrien Brody scooped up the best actor gong for his portrayal of a Hungarian Holocaust survivor and architect who emigrates to the United States.

Brody told a winners press conference that the film was “an opportunity for me to honor my own ancestral struggles.”

In “a film that speaks to tremendous cruelty and despicable behavior in our past... we see elements existing today that can guide us and remind us of that,” he added.

Veteran British actor Fiennes, who played a cardinal in “Conclave”, once again saw his hopes of winning a BAFTA gong dashed, losing out to Brody in the race for the honour.

Scandal-hit “Emilia Perez”, a surreal musical about a Mexican druglord, had been heavily favored at the beginning of the year. But it ended the evening with just two BAFTAs, including one for Zoe Saldana for best supporting actress.

Until last month, French director Jacques Audiard's movie had been expected to be a frontrunner having won 11 nominations.

But old racist and Islamophobic tweets by lead actor Karla Sofia Gascon surfaced at the end of January, shaking up the race just before the London ceremony and the Oscars on March 2.
 


Review: Hulu’s ‘Muslim Matchmaker’ has heart, but not enough spark

Review: Hulu’s ‘Muslim Matchmaker’ has heart, but not enough spark
Updated 11 February 2025
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Review: Hulu’s ‘Muslim Matchmaker’ has heart, but not enough spark

Review: Hulu’s ‘Muslim Matchmaker’ has heart, but not enough spark

TORONTO: “Muslim Matchmaker” premiered on Hulu this week. The series is directed and produced by Smriti Mundhra (of Netflix’s “Indian Matchmaking” fame).

But this time around it’s not Sima Aunty and her outrageous comments, but rather two older sister types – Hoda Abrahim and Yasmin Elhady – who are helping eight Muslim Americans find love.

The premise of their matchmaking business is the “Rules of Three: Three dates, three months, and three hundred questions.” In an era of dating apps and superficial swipes, the duo urges couples to approach their search for love with intention. They emphasize the importance of giving the relationship time and space to grow while asking the right questions.

The eight-episode show provides a fresh perspective on Muslim Americans as they navigate both their Muslim and cultural identities in the West. It offers captivating discussions on topics like cultural expectations when dating an older woman, the appropriate timeline to “date,” and finding a partner with an equal “halal-to-haram ratio.” These discussions are sure to resonate with many. And perhaps, offer a glimpse into a Muslim world that’s rarely seen in mainstream Western media.

The show comes with good intentions. For one, it acknowledges dating app fatigue. It offers a refreshing take with matchmakers who approach singles’ choices without judgment or sacrilegious remarks about “wanting too much” (looking at you, Sima Aunty).

But that’s also probably the biggest failing of the show. Dating shows thrive on drama – and there’s none here.

Tension doesn't surface until episode four. A Bengali-American woman is older than the man she’s dating, and cultural norms deem this unacceptable. We’re left on a cliffhanger, wondering how the Bengali-American man will disclose the relationship to his family.

It shouldn’t take that long to get us hooked.


Japanese gaming expert sees potential in Saudi industry

Japanese gaming expert sees potential in Saudi industry
Updated 10 February 2025
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Japanese gaming expert sees potential in Saudi industry

Japanese gaming expert sees potential in Saudi industry
  • Game producers in Japan could tailor products to Saudi players, says Prof. Koji Mikami
  • Saudi spending power makes region a valuable market

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is an important market for Japanese video game producers, who could tailor their games to appeal to the region, according to one expert.

Koji Mikami, a professor at the Tokyo University of Technology who specializes in gaming technology, spoke about the Saudi industry’s potential during an event in Riyadh on Monday.

“In my opinion, Saudi Arabian gamers love high-quality games and are willing to invest in premium gaming experiences,” he said.

Mikami emphasized that Saudi gamers’ spending power makes the region a valuable market for Japanese game studios.

“I believe Saudi Arabia has bigger potential than other regions, and I hope Japanese game studios will develop games tailored for the Saudi market,” he added.

The comments were made at a seminar hosted on Monday by the Federation of Saudi Chambers in collaboration with the Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East.

The event, part of the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 initiative, explored market trends, gaming technologies, and potential partnerships between the two nations.

With Saudi Arabia rapidly becoming a global hub for gaming and esports, the seminar underscored the potential for Japanese developers to invest in the Kingdom’s booming industry.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is famously a keen gamer, and according to PwC, 67 percent of the population — or 23.5 million people — share his hobby.

The Kingdom is also investing $38 billion into the gaming industry through the Public Investment Fund.

Discussions at the event highlighted Saudi Arabia’s gaming market growth, with increasing investments in game development, esports, and localization.

The event also touched on opportunities for collaboration between Saudi and Japanese gaming companies in areas such as co-developing new IPs, technology exchange, and industry partnerships.

The event concluded with a panel discussion on the future of gaming, emphasizing the importance of knowledge-sharing, innovation, and cross-border partnerships to advance the industry.

Speakers reinforced Saudi Arabia’s commitment to developing a sustainable and tech-driven gaming ecosystem, aligned with Vision 2030 objectives.